I’d first echo that my experience has been the same as canucktyuktuk’s-- I’m feeling quite burnt out from all the extra stuff (correcting the never-ending flow of intensive workbooks, decorating classroom walls, wordy parent communication and report cards, speech contest work, etc.) The curriculum is really intensive for the students so I pick and choose what I think is most helpful to them (being sure they’ll still be able to pass the big exams and that the written work still gets “done”) and I focus on what I think needs more consideration and practice. But this requires a lot of careful forethought so I put in a lot of unpaid time making my time with the kids as effective as possible.
On the plus side, the environment is great. Its clean and well lit. The staff and management at my branch are good people and pleasant to work with (for the most part). The students are enthusiastic, love to see me, and generally accustomed to meeting high expectations so they participate and do the work required with minimal resistance. There are exceptions and I’ve run into some serious (SERIOUS) learning disabilities and level misplacements that are being ignored in favor of the extra money coming in. I love my schedule. Most teachers do any combination of daily classes 1:30-4 (except Tuesdays), 4:30-6, and 6-7:30. I also love my students. Not all of them, obviously, but I really love many of them as if they were my own. Because I see them every single day, we’re very close. I get to see their constant growth and I can tell immediately when they’re struggling with something. This is the BEST part of the job-- working closely with the students is very rewarding and beneficial for teaching as you can address issues or review difficult material right away (albeit to the detriment of the intensive curriculum and workload).
On the negative side, I choose to take this job seriously and consequently put in a lot of unpaid extra work to make sure the students are caught up, exams are passed, management is happy and parents are happy. I’ve only been here for a semester and half and I’m already exhausted and tired of it! Another new teacher has only been here half a semester and she is feeling the same. I also pity the Chinese teaching assistants as they are totally overworked. At my branch, in particular, they are stretched so thin. Often responsible for monitoring and checking the work for 3 classes during a single time block. I can’t imagine that any of them can tolerate these exhaustive conditions for more than a couple years, especially not in the face of complaining foreign teachers who probably make twice the hourly rate and less than half the hours! But we ALL deserve better, really. We do a great job with/for the kids and make the parents very happy. I’d consider AEI to be in the upper eschelon of grade schools in Taiwan, or at least in our county and parents probably do pay a pretty penny for it but we don’t receive any raises. We do get bonuses.
I just want to take a moment to say that my branch, for certain, does not have a preference for American/Canadian accents. They’re definitely more interested in dependable teachers who work hard. We currently have 1 American, 2 Canadian, and 2 South African. It used to be 4 South Africans until two of them left to pursue other paths. Hamlet’s hunch is unfounded, as far as I can see.